Delivering a passionate address at the third annual prayer breakfast hosted at Bridgetown’s iconic Golden Square Freedom Park last Sunday, Barbados Deputy Commissioner of Police Adrian Broomes issued a stark, urgent warning that the Caribbean island nation cannot afford to write off an entire generation of young people to harmful external influences and life-altering negative outcomes. The gathering, which forms a core component of the country’s annual Crime Awareness Month, was organized by the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit under the official theme “Barbados at 60: Knowledge for Crime Prevention, Partnerships for Safety, Progress for All”, and also featured keynote remarks from Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley. Broomes, speaking to a crowd of community members, faith leaders, educators and local stakeholders, framed youth agency as the most powerful tool for steering clear of criminal paths, emphasizing that every young person holds full authorship over their own life narrative. “Your story is uniquely yours to craft. The choices you make today will shape the legacy that is remembered of you for decades to come, and no set of difficult circumstances gets to pen that story for you,” he declared during his speech. He went on to specifically caution attendees against ceding control of their life trajectories to external forces: volatile neighborhood environments, toxic peer groups, misleading social media content, and pervasive societal pressure to conform to harmful norms. Pushing back against common misconceptions of strength and belonging that circulate among at-risk youth, Broomes stressed that carrying a weapon is never a marker of courage, participating in illegal activity never earns genuine respect, and blindly following crowd mentality is never a prerequisite for being accepted. Instead, he encouraged young people to center four core values in their daily decisions: courage, integrity, community service, and clear personal purpose, noting that the bravest choices many of them will ever make are the deliberate ones to walk away from violence, criminal behavior, and other self-sabotaging patterns. Expanding his call beyond the youth audience, the deputy commissioner issued a direct appeal to all adult stakeholders across Barbadian society: parents, guardians, school teachers, and faith leaders must step up to take a far more proactive, supportive role in guiding young people, rather than relying solely on top-down lectures. He acknowledged a longstanding gap in intergenerational communication across the island, noting that too often older community members prioritize speaking over listening to the legitimate concerns and struggles of young people. Broomes confirmed that the Barbados Police Service will continue to prioritize targeted outreach programs designed to help youth unlock their full potential and avoid entanglement in the criminal justice system, emphasizing that sustainable, long-term crime reduction cannot be achieved by law enforcement acting in isolation. Cross-sector partnerships that bring together families, educational institutions, faith organizations, local businesses, and neighborhood communities are the only proven path to cutting crime rates and lifting overall public safety for every resident of the island. A photo of the event’s attendees was captured by Lauryn Escamilla for Barbados TODAY.